Hu Ziqiang stood at 1.7 meters tall, but Chen JianShe was half a head taller. With a slight exertion of force, he easily yanked Hu Ziqiang into his seat.

The process was anything but gentle.

Hu Ziqiang was embarrassed, but seeing Chen JianShe’s clenched fist, he hesitated. He couldn’t just submit to brute force.

"I want to change seats. You can’t hit me—this is Leng Yuan’s wedding banquet today."

Chen JianShe didn’t need a reminder from Hu Ziqiang that this was his Brother Leng’s wedding banquet.

He glared at the other man, his tone hostile.

"Change seats for what? It’s perfectly fine sitting next to your girlfriend."

"And while you’re at it, keep her in line. If she dares to cause any trouble, I’ll be sure to ’take good care’ of you from now on."

"Got it?"

Terrified, Hu Ziqiang quickly nodded.

Li Hongmei, who was sitting nearby, was not pleased.

"Who’s his girlfriend? I’m not—"

Chen JianShe shot a cold, fierce glare in her direction, looking like he was ready for a fight at any moment. Li Hongmei’s next words died in her throat.

"You two had better behave. Otherwise, I’ll give you both some ’special attention’."

’If they dare cause trouble at Brother Leng’s wedding banquet, I’ll beat them so bad their own mothers won’t recognize them.’

’And don’t give me any of that "but she’s a woman" crap.’

’I’ll hit her all the same.’

’Brother Leng was right. There are only our people and outsiders. You protect your own and beat the hell out of everyone else.’

Li Hongmei: ...

Hu Ziqiang: ...

Having subdued the two cowards, Chen JianShe glanced back at Lu Yuanbin.

Lu Yuanbin gave him a rare thumbs-up.

Chen JianShe immediately puffed up with pride.

’Just now, Lu Yuanbin actually called me ’brother’ and admitted I had clout in the village. He knew Hu Ziqiang and Li Hongmei were up to no good and specifically asked me to come over and warn them.’

’See? I really am Brother Leng’s most capable right-hand man.’

He narcissistically raised his hands and cracked his knuckles, producing a sharp "CRACK."

Hu Ziqiang couldn’t help but flinch, shrinking back for fear that Chen JianShe was about to hit him.

It was no secret in the village that Chen JianShe could fight.

Hu Ziqiang had even seen him fight with his own eyes.

In the spring, the rivers were used to irrigate the fields.

Sometimes, upstream villages would divert a portion of the water to irrigate their own fields. This caused the water flow to the downstream villages to dwindle, delaying irrigation and affecting crop growth and harvest yields.

Over water rights, the Qingshan Team had gotten into fights with other teams.

Chen JianShe was always at the forefront, fighting the most fiercely and ruthlessly. He had once grabbed something and smashed it over an opponent’s head, cracking it open.

At the time, a terrified Hu Ziqiang had cowered to the side, witnessing the whole thing.

However, regarding the matter of Li Hongmei being his girlfriend, Hu Ziqiang still summoned his courage to quietly refute it.

"She really isn’t my girlfriend."

Chen JianShe turned a deaf ear. As far as he was concerned, his opinion was fact, and if Hu Ziqiang kept running his mouth, he’d get a beating.

Hu Ziqiang: ...

’How can this guy be so tyrannical? He won’t even let me tell the truth.’

Li Hongmei wanted to argue back as well.

’I’m so beautiful, how could I possibly be interested in Hu Ziqiang?’

But when she met Chen JianShe’s warning gaze, she lost her nerve.

After putting the two in their place, Chen JianShe returned to his own seat with a smug look on his face.

Lu Yuanbin gave Chen JianShe a speechless look. He then offered a few uncharacteristic words of praise, and Chen JianShe was instantly floating on air.

’This feels... a little unreal!’

Those few disingenuous words were Lu Yuanbin’s limit. He couldn’t bring himself to say any more.

With Chen JianShe handled, Lu Yuanbin’s gloomy gaze swept over Hu Ziqiang and Li Hongmei before finally flicking to Yun Hao.

’All it took were a few casual questions, and Chen JianShe spilled the beans.’

’These people are up to no good, trying to ruin Brother Leng’s marriage. I, Lu Yuanbin, won’t let this go.’

A chill ran down Li Hongmei’s and Hu Ziqiang’s spines, as if they were being watched. They couldn’t help but look up and scan their surroundings, but they saw nothing, making them wonder if they had just imagined it.

Seeing the two of them look up in perfect sync, Chen JianShe couldn’t help but sneer.

"And they still say they’re not a couple. Who are they trying to fool!"